Module 1 · Lesson 3 of 4

Pick the kind of film you’ll make first.

There are six kinds of short film you can make today. Pick one, and pick a length from 30 to 60 seconds.

The steps

A short clip in tall video, under 90 seconds. One moment from your story, sized for phones.
A book trailer: a short film that makes people want to read your book.
A scene with two or three people: one place, one problem, a few lines each.
A short episode: the opening of your story, as the first part of a series.
A talking-head story: one person talks to the camera and tells what happened.
A news-style report: a person at a news desk tells your story the way TV news would.

Make your first film 30 to 60 seconds long.
Short films cost less. Every second you make uses up credits on the service you pay for.
Short films are faster to make and easier to fix. One bad shot in 30 seconds is a quick redo.
And short films are what people watch on their phones.
Want to see real lengths? Our finished films are on the Movies page. “Deon The Ghost, Episode 5: Pay Her” runs 58 seconds.

Pick your kind and type your length in the boxes below, like a book trailer, 45 seconds.

Fill it in here. It saves as you type, and later lessons use it.

Pick the kind of film you’ll make and its length, from 30 to 60 seconds. Write both down.

If any answer is no, go back over the steps, or look below.

I want to make my whole book.: Start with one minute. A whole book as a film takes far longer and costs far more. A short film teaches you every step, and you can make more after.
I can’t choose between two kinds.: Pick the one with fewer people in it. Fewer faces means fewer things can go wrong.
60 seconds feels too short for my story.: It’s meant to be. Your film shows one moment and makes people want the rest. Module 2 shows you how to pick that moment.

Still stuck? Email info@bookwriter.vip and say which lesson you’re on. A person reads every message and writes back.